Interannual Variation in Diet and Condition in Juvenile Bluefish during Estuarine Residency

Abstract

We examined the diets and weight–length relationships of juvenile bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix from Sandy Hook Bay, New Jersey, during 1981, 1983, and 1984. Diets consisted of a variety of polychaete, crustacean, and fish prey. Opossum shrimp Neomysis americana, sand shrimp Crangon septemspinosa, grass shrimp Palaemonetes vulgaris, bay anchovy Anchoa mitchilli, striped killifish Fundulus majalis, and Atlantic silverside Menidia menidia dominated the diet in terms of biomass and frequency of occurrence. Consumption of invertebrate and fish prey varied between years. Bluefish condition factor was highest in 1981, when fish were the predominant prey, and lower in 1983 and 1984, when the diets consisted mostly of invertebrate prey. The diets of juvenile bluefish in Sandy Hook Bay contained more invertebrate prey than has been described previously.